UK’s busiest long-distance train line cuts trains for Christmas to ‘save taxpayers’ – but route to Andy Burnham’s Number 10 North avoids the axe’
Avanti West Coast, the UK's poorly performing long-distance rail operator, has been given government approval to cut scores of daily services on its West Coast Main Line before and after Christmas, with the exception of the London to Manchester route, which critics have dubbed the "No 10 North Line" because it serves Andy Burnham's Greater Manchester power base. The cuts, running from 7 to 23 December and 4 to 7 January, are being framed by Avanti and the Department for Transport as a cost-saving measure that removes near-empty "ghost trains" from the network, but the decision to spare the Manchester line while axing services to Birmingham, Liverpool and Crewe has raised questions over fairness given the operator's poor reliability record.
Avanti says at least 22 other daily services between Monday and Thursday will lose the equivalent of thousands of seats, with the Manchester line kept intact because of demand from the city's Christmas markets, while a reduced timetable will also run between Christmas and New Year due to engineering works. The move follows a similar summer schedule that saw one in seven services axed, and comes despite Avanti recently awarding train drivers a 3.6 per cent pay rise plus enhanced Sunday and rest-day pay. Official Office of Rail and Road figures show only 57.4 per cent of Avanti services arrived on time in the latest 12 months, with 5.6 per cent cancelled, the second-worst reliability record in the country, prompting ministers to reportedly consider accelerating the operator's planned 2027 nationalisation.
In short
- Avanti cuts Christmas West Coast Main Line services to cut costs
- London-Manchester "No 10 North Line" route kept untouched
- Avanti has UK's worst delay record; nationalisation may be sped up
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Avanti and the Department for Transport can argue that cutting services with very few passengers avoids spending public money on trains that run largely empty, while preserving capacity for the busy Manchester Christmas markets. A planned reduction may also help align services with engineering works and concentrate staff and trains where demand is strongest.
The case against
Passengers and affected communities can argue that cutting services to Birmingham, Liverpool and Crewe while protecting Manchester leaves them with fewer travel options during a busy period, and appears unfair without clear evidence that the cuts reflect passenger demand consistently. Given Avanti’s poor reliability record and the scale of the reductions, they may also question whether savings justify further disruption for people who depend on the route.
Explained simply
The West Coast Main Line is a major railway linking London with cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. Avanti West Coast runs long-distance trains on much of the route under a contract with the UK government’s Department for Transport, which oversees rail services and public spending.
Andy Burnham is the mayor of Greater Manchester, a prominent Labour politician who has been discussed as a possible future national leader. The nickname “No 10 North” refers to Manchester’s political significance; Number 10 is the UK prime minister’s residence and office.
Rail services are funded through fares and public money, so timetable changes can affect both passengers and taxpayers. Avanti’s reliability record and the way services to different cities are treated are part of the debate over its performance and the government’s plans for the railway.